Poverty and college seem to go hand in hand, at least that appears to be the case for many college students, but not for the school itself.

You may have scraped together just enough money to pay for tuition, room and board, books, supplies, and other expenses, but have little to show when the weekend arrives. Unless you enjoy studying in the media center on Saturdays and Sundays, you’d probably enjoy the occasional pizza and night out with your friends.

As cash poor as you may be, most colleges offer a wealth of free or heavily discounted events to students throughout the year. Even beyond the campus, there are some events you can take in that won’t set you back financially. Please read on for some tips on how you can enjoy college while living on a shoestring budget:

Sporting Events — Large universities have big stadiums and coliseums where fans, alumnae, and students gather together to root for their favorite team.  Ticket prices can get pricey to attend some of the more popular events, but schools routinely set aside some seats for their student body. Oftentimes these seats are free or made available to students for a nominal charge.

Theater — Is the Central American Child’s Choir planning to visit your campus? How about an off-Broadway production of a popular Broadway hit? Much like sporting events, students are typically allowed to sit in on these shows, on a first come, first served basis. To ensure that you get to view a popular play, consider volunteering with the ticket handling or serving as an usher.

Free Food – Short of dumpster diving for leftover desserts or other culinary prizes, why not join a club or fraternity and take in their frequent food bashes? Some clubs open their foodie events to everyone, so joining in is optional. Find free food at other campus events including open houses, fundraisers, you name it.

Check Bulletin Boards — Although so much stuff is now online (thanks, Craigslist!) campus bulletin boards remain a favorite place for students to post their stuff. Find free or cheap furniture, clothing, bicycles, and more posted. If your roommate or dorm buddy is getting ready to drop out of college, they’ll probably want to leave some of their stuff behind and may be willing to let you have some things for next to nothing.

Hitch A Ride — Need to go somewhere? Why not hitch a ride with another student? Of course, you’ll want to make sure that the person who you are riding with is isn’t some pervert or the Boston Strangler reincarnated, so stay away from people whose creep factor is evident. Be prepared to offer some gas money to the driver especially if that person can drop you off at home.

Of course, some of the low cost or freebie events may not suit your style or could be well, um, be beneath your sensibilities. Yet, when cash is tight and the opportunities are few and far between, thinking outside of the box can yield some fine savings and keep you from text messaging mom and dad to ask them to wire you some money.

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Adv. — If you have already found the college you want to attend, get prepared to apply to that school in November. Otherwise do an online college search to find the schools of interest to you and print out a Summary Aid Map to help you plan your financial aid strategy.

Tags: college budget, college club, finances, food, fraternity, free, money, sorority, sports, theater

It is summer, the beach beckons, and all your friends want you to hang out with them. Thoughts of getting ready for college seem crazy right now, but coming up with a basic budget now will save you from much anxiety later. Besides, if you need to get financial assistance, you’ll want to explore that option once you know what your expenses will be.

A college budget isn’t a difficult undertaking, but it is something that can help you have a clearer picture where you stand financially. Your 529 savings plan, scholarships, grants, and other monies may not cover all of your expenses, leaving you short by several hundreds of dollars each month.

To get a handle on your expenses, make a best estimate on what you expect to spend for the following:

Tuition and fees — You may not be paying your school’s full $325 per credit tuition plus fees, but you probably know what amount is expected from you to cover both the fall and spring semesters.

Books — Books can be the “wild card” when it comes to college budgeting, so figure on an amount above what you expect to pay. In other words, paying one thousand dollars for textbooks for the coming academic year may not be a stretch.

Academic supplies — incidentals such as paper, notebooks, pens, and the like can add up quickly.

Electronics - laptop, printer, etc.  What college student have his or her own laptop these days? Sure, the computer lab is an option, but you won’t have any privacy and you have to connect on their time, not yours.

Housing — room and board on campus v. off-campus housing.

Food — don’t expect that you’ll want to eat cafeteria food every day. Determine what you’ll have to pay out of pocket and add that figure here.

Entertainment – on campus entertainment costs a lot less than the off campus variety, but you’ll want to find your diversions away from school from time to time.

Transportation (around the campus and town) — foot traffic is cheaper than maintaining a car, but you’ll at least need bus or train money for trips several miles off campus.

Travel home — whatever costs associated with making the occasional trip home should be included. Check with the airlines, trains, buses for fares. Consider “ride sharing” with other students who live in your area.

Other — anything that doesn’t fit the above categories goes here. This could include prescription medications and other health expenses not covered through your parent’s health plan. Clothing is another item you may need to purchase.

Your budget won’t be precise, but it should be very close to what your expenses will be for the coming academic year. Find out what monies you have available to you and see how much can be applied for this school year. If you have a shortfall, consider working a part time job or taking out a student loan to meet expenses.

Once done, reward yourself and hit the water. Yea, your friends are waiting, but at least you don’t have a burden hanging over your head for the entire summer.

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Adv. — Visit SayStudent.com to find out what your college money options are for the upcoming school year.

Tags: 529 college savings, college budget, College Planning, financial aid, private student loans, Stafford loan, Student Loans